El Rancho Carne Humana

Before Napa, There was Carne Humana

Prior to Napa becoming a county and even before California was a state, a vast rancho called Carne Humana encompassed the stretch of Napa Valley from Rutherford north to Calistoga. The land was first deeded to English surgeon Edward Bale who had the misfortune to be shipwrecked off the coast of Monterey, but the good luck to do so precisely when General Mariano Vallejo was in desperate need of a surgeon-in-chief for his troops upon those shores. Bale went on to marry Vallejo’s daughter and in 1841, Carne Humana was given to him both as a dowry and as a reward for his work as a doctor.

Present-day maps exclude any lines or other references to this 17,962-acre rancho. But there remains indisputable logic to its historic boundaries. The climate in the upper reaches of Napa Valley is warmer than in the south, making possible the successful cultivation of red grape varieties renowned for richness, concentration and backbone, and white grapes with bright acidity, tangy backbone and lush tropical flavors.

Today, most of the vineyards planted on the original Carne Humana rancho produce sun-loving reds including historic field blends of nearly forgotten varieties, old-vine Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and heritage types such as Charbono.

Our Historic Terroir

Viticulture

For our Carne Humana Napa Valley Proprietary Red Wine, we blend 100% Napa Valley fruit, the preponderance of which has been grown within the borders of the original rancho. The varietal composition changes with each vintage, allowing us to maintain stylistic consistency of aromatics, flavors and structure year after year.

THERE ARE FOUR HISTORIC GRAPE TYPES THAT COMPRISE THE MAJORITY OF OUR BLEND EACH VINTAGE.

Petite Sirah

Structure, inky color and dark chocolate tones. This grape is also known by the less lyrical-sounding “Durif”.

Zinfandel

Lively acidity and dark red fruit. The precise origin of this variety has never been pinpointed but for good reason it is informally known as the state grape of California.

Petit Verdot

Firm tannins, violet and anise notes. This French variety is one of the five principal grapes found in blended red wines from Bordeaux.

Syrah

Bacon, blackberry and black pepper. Syrah has a long history in France’s Rhone Valley.

The WInemaking Process

THE SINGULAR ARCHITECTURE OF CARNE HUMANA WINE

While most blends are created from lots that are aged separately and blended just before bottling, all of the fruit for Carne Humana Proprietary Red is co-fermented and barrel-aged as a single blend. This allows the various grape types to integrate with each other early on, and also for the different vineyards to achieve greater harmony in the final blend. What we find is that the finished wine has greater depth, integrity and purity of intent due to this method. After extended maceration, as long as 60 days on the skins, we age the wine in a combination of new and seasoned French oak barrels for about 18 months.

We also co-ferment Carne Humana White. It is predominantly Sauvignon Blanc blended with Semillon, Chardonnay and small portions of aromatic whites. Half of the blend is fermented in barrels and undergoes malolactic fermentation with weekly stirring. The other half is fermented as a single blend in small, cement tanks and stainless steel barrels.

Joseph Wagner

Winemaker

Joseph grew up in the Napa Valley where his family had founded Caymus Vineyards. Derek was raised in Oregon but spent summers in Napa Valley hanging out with his cousin Joseph. The two of them spent as much time outside as possible, riding mini-bikes through the vineyard rows and swimming in the irrigation pond.

One infamous family story concerns the two boys, but five years old at the time, getting their hands on a bottle of Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc and imbibing quite freely, to the horror of their parents once the discovery was made.

As the two grew older, Joseph’s dad would give them small jobs at the winery—stacking boxes on the bottling line or painting this and that. Over time, their work in the cellar became more involved with making wine.

At the age of 20, Joseph followed in the footsteps of four previous generations and dove into the family business. He worked first in vineyard management and then crossed over into winemaking with the help and guidance of his father. He began his own winery in 2001—Belle Glos—featuring single-vineyard Pinot Noirs.

Derek Beitler

Winemaker

Derek went to college in his home state, earning a Bachelor of Arts in environmental studies from the University of Oregon. In 2006, he moved to Sonoma County, and a year later, he began producing single-vineyard Syrahs from the Sonoma Coast and a Viognier from the Santa Lucia Highlands of California’s Central Coast.

In 2010, Derek moved to Napa Valley and began experimenting with red and white varieties, leading to the creation of Carne Humana. In 2014, Joseph formed Copper Cane Wines & Provisions. It seemed the most natural thing in the world, fate really, that the two cousins would find themselves working together.